The first phase of the flu:

  • Having started today the first phase of vaccination against seasonal flu, António Lacerda Sales recalled that the first 335,000 doses available “are intended for health professionals who provide services to the public, pregnant women and elderly living in homes.”
  • “It is the first time that it begins still in September with a view to minimizing the co-circulation of the seasonal influenza virus and Sars-Cov-2,” said the Secretary of State for Health.
  • The official said that a total of two million vaccines will arrive in Portugal, but in installments, so “people will not be vaccinated all at once”, and the “process will continue until the end of the year.”
  • Lacerda Sales also revealed that 10% of the vaccines reserved for the population over 65 can be administered in 2,000 pharmacies across the country.
  • Saying that “the pandemic has taught us a lot about unity”, the Secretary of State for Health wanted to thank the Orders of Nurses, Pharmacists and Doctors for joining the Ministry of Health in the “development and economic support of a health campaign “. communication “calling for vaccination against seasonal flu, called” Get yourself vaccinated, get everyone vaccinated. “
  • Subsequently, given the possibility that there are no vaccines that reach all the elderly belonging to risk groups, Graça Freitas reiterated that the 335 thousand vaccines “are enough” for the first phase, that people will not be “vaccinated all of the same way”. day “and that vaccination will be free.
  • Regarding the vaccination that must take place in homes, the Director General of Health admitted that “the logistics are more complex”, so “it is the health centers that are organized with the homes and with continuous care units for vaccinate residents “. and the professionals ”, with the SNS teams who travel to plan vaccination.

The origins of the pandemic in Portugal:

  • The study coordinated by the National Institute Dr. Ricardo Jorge on the genetic diversity of the virus obtained new data. Today we already know that the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic in Portugal was marked by the massive spread of a variant of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, characterized by a specific mutation of the main antigen originating in Italy and causing at least 3,800 infections in Portugal, especially in the north of the country ”, Lacerda Sales began by saying.
  • Speaking in more detail, João Paulo Gomes, coordinator of the study, said that “the beginning of the pandemic began with the introduction of a genetic variant from the Lombardy region” that “will have entered Portugal around February 20 in the north and Centro, which will have spread in a way that public health authorities will not be able to detect for possibly 10 days. “
  • In this way, several “transmission chains were created that later grew”, and “according to our estimates, around 3,800 cases of Covid-19 will have originated in mid-April. That is, 1 in 4 cases of Covid-19 in Portugal , around April 9 or 10, they will have been caused by this very specific genetic variant ”, said João Paulo Gomes.
  • However, “despite having a massive diffusion in the north and the center”, the head of the study says that “the cases in which this variant was found in the regions of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, Alentejo and Algarve were very This was due to “taking very timely public health measures”, which “strangled the massive spread of this genetic variant to the rest of the country.”
  • João Paulo Gomes stressed that it is “a study nearing completion”, and that “the final results will be presented in 2 or 3 weeks.”
  • The official also said that it is a “retrospective study, the conclusions of which will serve as a lesson to prepare for the near or distant future”, but that it may not bring conclusions “of immediate application”. “It is very important to understand exactly how we got to the point where we got to and to what extent public health measures were timely and effective or not,” he said.

Other themes:

  • Asked about the different outbreaks in homes across the country, Graça Freitas said that there are 51 active outbreaks at the moment: 10 in the North, two in the Center, 33 in the LVT, three in the Alentejo and three in the Algarve. .
  • As for the outbreaks in schools, there are 12 educational establishments currently with outbreaks, which cover a total of 78 infected, the Director General of Health revealed today. According to Graça Freitas, five schools with outbreaks are located in the North, one in the Center and six in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley.
  • Not having finished listing the places with active outbreaks, the Director General of Health said that:
    • In the north there is an “almost finished” outbreak in a health institution in Guimarães and there were eight patients, an outbreak in Paredes with four cases, an outbreak in Vila Nova da Galé with seven cases and an outbreak that began in early August in Póvoa de Varzim, which resulted in 85 cases and one death;
    • In the Central region, the Sousa Martins Hospital, in Guarda, has 10 active cases, with the outbreak beginning on September 15, and a medical wing of the Leiria Hospital has, to date, eight cases;
    • In the Lisbon region and the Tagus Valley, there are two active cases in Hospital García de Orta, in Almada, an “old” outbreak in a psychiatric clinic in Lumiar, in Lisbon that resulted in 14 cases, and an outbreak in the São João clinic. Ávila, also in the capital, resulted in 16 cases.
  • Regarding the various outbreaks that occurred in various health institutions in the country, Graça Freitas says that they are being investigated, that they mainly affected health professionals and that “there are some possible ramifications for other places, because these people move and walk.”
  • As for infected health professionals, there are a total of 4,970: 629 doctors, 1,435 nurses, 1,401 operating assistants, 166 technical assistants, 167 senior diagnostic technicians and 1,172 other professionals, said António Lacerda Sales, Secretary of State for Saúde, stressed that there are 4,108 recovered, which means a recovery rate of over 82%.
  • Regarding the problem of overcrowding at the Faro airport, Lacerda Sales said that she hoped it was a specific situation, since “it is not recommended from the point of view of public health.” However, the Secretary of State for Health took advantage of this question to announce that the PLC (Passenger Locator Card or Passenger Location Card) will come into effect on October 2, designed to collect data from passengers in Portuguese airports to track possible cases of infection. The launch in early October will take place “in the coexistence of paper and digital”, and on October 9 the official launch will be 100% digital.